Ornamental jewelry, particularly fine jewelry, has long been a popular fashion accessory, and the commercial market for jewelry continues to grow and expand. One of the most important considerations in the commercial marketing of jewelry is presenting the jewelry in an attractive, aesthetically pleasing manner that will capture and maintain the attention of potential buyers. Additionally, space within retail jewelry display cases is limited, and it is therefore desirable for individual jewelry display devices, which are typically located within the display cases for security purposes, to occupy a minimum amount of surface area so that numerous pieces of jewelry or entire collections of jewelry may be efficiently displayed.
Presently, different types of jewelry, such as necklaces and earrings, are typically displayed on separate display devices. Earrings, for example, are typically displayed on small cards similar to the jewelry display card disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,264 to Garganese. Necklaces are typically displayed on devices consisting of a raised, three-dimensional forms in the general overall shape of a portion of the neck and shoulders of a person, with the necklace being positioned around the neck portion of the form.
A number of disadvantages, however, are associated with the jewelry display devices typically used today. First and foremost, the jewelry display devices typically used today make it difficult for potential buyers to realistically visualize how the jewelry will appear when worn. Additionally, items of jewelry, such as necklaces and earrings, are often sold as matched sets, and the separate jewelry display devices typically used today make it inconvenient for potential buyers and salespersons to locate the various items of the matched set, particularly since necklaces and earrings are often displayed at different locations within a display case or even at entirely different locations within a jewelry store. Furthermore, the raised, three-dimensional forms often occupy an inordinately large amount of space within display cases, thus making it difficult to display a large number of necklaces in an attractive, uncluttered, aesthetically pleasing manner.
Therefore, a need exists for jewelry display devices that can display one or more items of jewelry in an attractive, aesthetically pleasing manner by realistically simulating how the jewelry will appear when worn.